Q3 2026 Earnings Estimate for Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) Issued By Zacks Research

Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Paychex in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, April 16th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the business services provider will earn $1.44 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.46. The consensus estimate for Paychex’s current full-year earnings is $4.71 per share.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on PAYX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Paychex from $134.00 to $126.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. Citigroup lowered their target price on Paychex from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Paychex in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Paychex from $122.00 to $121.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Paychex in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.00.

Paychex Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Paychex stock opened at $117.79 on Thursday. Paychex has a twelve month low of $104.09 and a twelve month high of $129.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $122.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.14.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. Paychex had a return on equity of 46.14% and a net margin of 31.86%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS.

Paychex announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, January 19th that allows the company to repurchase $400.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 0.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Mark Anthony Bottini sold 15,481 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,924.93. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 82,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,966,625.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 11.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Paychex

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PAYX. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Paychex during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Paychex in the third quarter worth $28,000. West Tower Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Paychex by 112.8% in the fourth quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 232 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Paychex by 91.5% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Paychex in the third quarter worth $34,000. 83.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Paychex Company Profile

Paychex, Inc provides integrated human capital management solutions for human resources (HR), payroll, benefits, and insurance services for small to medium-sized businesses in the United States, Europe, and India. It offers payroll processing services; payroll tax administration services; employee payment services; and regulatory compliance services, such as new-hire reporting and garnishment processing.